Swilled Dog is Shaking Up Spirits in West Virginia

Explorer Blog shared by: Swilled Dog

Less than a year after we launched our distillery, our team at Swilled Dog received some very big news. Our Upper Tract, West Virginia company was bringing home some prestigious awards from the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. You can only imagine our excitement when we won medals for every spirit we submitted to the international competition—including a coveted Double Gold medal for our Barrel Strength Straight Bourbon Whiskey!

While no stranger to the craft beverage industry, this was an exciting start for our team as it was our first foray into the spirits world. What started as a hobby of cider making in 2016, quickly turned into a thriving company right before our eyes. Things moved so quickly that Swilled Dog became the fastest-growing craft beverage brand distributed in the state of West Virginia. With expanded statewide distribution to four states and the opening of a tasting room at our production facility in Upper Tract, WV, our team has no plans of slowing down

The Path Forward

We knew from the beginning that we wanted to continue to grow our portfolio of products. When chatting with our CEO and Co-Founder, Brooke Glover she always shares that we “want to make what we like to drink.” During a time when the pandemic was shutting down tasting rooms across the country, our team found a way to adapt and innovate. “We followed through with our plans to grow, invested even more in the business and doubled down on making great beverages,” said Glover.

This risky move paid off with our launch of Swilled Dog Spirits in 2020, with a mix of ready-to-drink vodka sodas (pineapple and black cherry) and small-batch whiskeys. We feel very strongly about our usage of local and natural resources and attribute much of our success to that commitment. “Spirits are about a time and place,” says Glover. “We want to showcase the local agriculture and history of distilling in West Virginia by sourcing high-quality, local ingredients as close to our facility as possible.”

At Swilled Dog our whiskeys are aged in premium white oak barrels made with West Virginia hardwood from the WV Great Barrel Company. And beginning with the 2021 harvest, we have partnered with local farmers to plant Non-GMO corn in the fields next door to the distillery. “It doesn’t get much more hyperlocal than that,” says Glover. “We are reducing our carbon footprint and providing a sensory experience for our customers.” Visitors drive right past these cornfields when they visit Swilled Dog’s tasting room. You can get a sense of the entire farm-to-bottle process with one visit.

Meet the Spirits

Currently, Swilled Dog’s Spirit portfolio includes four expressions that have all received awards and strong recommendations from prestigious competitions and influential reviewers:

Sherry Cask Finished Bourbon – Winner of a Gold Medal, World Whiskies Awards

In this competition, only one gold medal was awarded in the Small Batch Non-Kentucky Bourbon category making Swilled Dog’s Sherry Cask Finished Bourbon, the 2nd best non-Kentucky bourbon in the world, next to the overall category winner.

Barrel Strength Straight Bourbon – winner of a Double Gold Medal, San Francisco World Spirits Competition two years in a row

Barrel Strength Rye – winner of a Gold Medal, San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Also received a rating of 91 points by Wine Enthusiast Magazine

90 Proof Straight Bourbon – winner of a Silver Medal, San Francisco World Spirits Competition

Double Oaked Bourbon – winner of a Silver Medal, World Whiskies Awards (Look for this special release soon!)

Although making great beverages is important to us, we are most proud of our commitment to giving back. A portion of all sales is given to animal charities within Swilled Dog’s distribution footprint. We welcome you to plan a trip to The Whiskey Room where you can sample our whiskeys and bourbons or grab a flight of hard cider while enjoying the mountains as a backdrop. Also, make sure to follow us on social @swilleddogspirits and @swilleddog for updates on new releases.


Kim Kirk

Chief Experience Manager, Swilled Dog

Kim Kirk is the Chief Experience Manager at Swilled Dog, an award-winning distillery and cidery and the fastest-growing craft beverage brand in West Virginia. She is responsible for the overall customer experience and bringing the Swilled Dog brand to life, which includes overseeing the company’s branding, marketing and charitable giving efforts.

Kim graduated from James Madison University (BA in Corporate Communication) and West Virginia University (MS in Integrated Marketing Communications). She is a Level 1 Certified Cider Professional, a certification by the American Cider Association.

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This post was last updated on May 17, 2023